Police forces in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa placed a checkpoint on a road between the province’s Viranşehir and Ceylanpınar districts yesterday after they received a tip that a suicide bomber from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was attempting to infiltrate Şanlıurfa from neighboring Syria.

A black minivan approached the checkpoint at around 7:30 p.m., and instead of stopping, its passengers opened fire on the security forces, injuring two police officers and a specialist sergeant. One civilian who was working at a nearby gas station was also injured as he was hit by a ricocheting bullet.

The militants attempted to flee the scene but were blocked by security forces and a firefight erupted. One PKK militant was captured with injuries. A second militant got off from the vehicle and tried to flee on foot. The militant, apparently a suicide bomber, detonated the explosives strapped to his body when he realized he would be captured, killing himself.

One of the injured policemen was reportedly left in critical condition.

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.